That was a comment I happened to hear from someone speaking in the
TV on racial harmony. Of course it is superficial. What do you expect
when race is a distinct difference between people of all countries,
brought up differently, have different values, religions, cultures, way
of life, food, mannerism, behaviors, values etc etc. Originally each
race was raised in their specific area and slowly spreaded out to
neighbouring countries until colonialism gave it a hand in transporting
people en mass to far away land and expecting these people to live
together harmoniously. It could, under the domineering power of an
authoritarian colonial power and when the people were just migrants with
little rights could be jailed or expelled if they think too highly of
themselves as individuals or a race.
After colonialism, the same
shit that was created and left to fester in ex colonial countries
started to ferment not to gel but to exert their rights and differences
and all became different and expect and demand others to accord them the
rights to be different, to be themselves. Whatever melting pot is only
good theoretically. No ethnic group would voluntarily give up their
identity to be something that they are not. Only the idealists would
think that this is possible. There are few exceptions when the
differences are marginal, like Thailand.
Racial harmony at best
is superficial, yes, and with the races being controlled or regulated by
rule of law or force, to keep them from wanting to exert their
differences and rights over others. They have to tolerate others to
maintain some form of harmony and peaceful coexistence. With having a
lid over them, it would just blow up.
If you listen to the
comments by the difference races about what they felt were racism, how
sensitive they are at the slightest comment, intentional or
unintentional, with or without malice, you will know that racial harmony
cannot exist without a heavy hand or rule of law to keep the racists
and over sensitives in check.
The differences are not going to go
away. The likes and dislikes, the idiosyncracies, the prejudices, the
biases etc etc are human nature, not racism per se. But in the eyes of
the racists and over sensitives, if they are not checked, everything
would be seen and alleged as racists.
I say, stop the farce, stop
thinking that there would be a melting pot where difference races would
be stewed and turned into something else to live happily ever after.
Even if there is only one race, a homogenous nation, there will be
prejudices and personal biases to disturb the peace and harmony.
The
best a multi racial country can do is to regulate and control the
differences and occasional outburst to prevent them from becoming a norm
to upset the balance and artificial harmony. The problem is not to
expect everyone to become 'chap cheng' and thus become one race of sort.
The solution is to keep the lid on and come down hard on the racists.
This requires a lot of sensitivity and judgement to avoid allowing the
real racists to set the agenda and narratives to attack the non racists
being branded as racists.
Accept the differences and biases and
prejudices but do not let these to affect people of other races. Keep
your differences, biases, prejudices and what not to yourself. Do not
impose on others of how special you are and others must bend to your
preferences and way of life and likes and dislikes. Every race is
difference and should be allowed to be different but not to insist that
others must be like them and be like them. Keep your differences within
your race, your community, your homes and yourself and respect others to
have their own differences that may be different from yours and may be
disagreeable to yours.
And stop being too sensitive as long as
there is no malicious intention. And stop stirring shit at every
instance as racist and every little slight as racism. Everyone must live
with the differences of others. If one likes kopi instead of tea, you
cannot be offended by the mere mentioning of kopi or tea. If one likes
green, another likes red, or black, you have no right to scream racism
if the colours are waved in front of you or simple spoken.
It is
the intolerance of the racists, many cupboard racists, that posed the
more threats to racial harmony, thinking that what we have in Singapore
is superficial and thus unacceptable, not good enough. What is good
enough, what is real and possible? Everyone be like you?
All the
talks today is going the wrong way to think it is possible to have real
racial harmony as one people. Grow up and stop behaving like childish
little boys and girls. Singapore is about the best that you can find in
the whole wide world.
Singapore's racial harmony is superficial,
what is your ideal solution? Whatever you can think of, whatever anyone
can think of, there will be others to disagree with you. The only country with the highest degree of racial integration and harmony is Thailand. But they still have the Muslim South that is not integrated and not in harmony. The other country that has even better racial harmony is China. With 46 ethnic minorities living peacefully together with the exception of separatist movements by a small group of Uyghur terrorists trained by the Americans to create social unrest and instability in China. Other than this, the 1.4b people are living together quite comfortably as one nation and one people.
In China, no minorities need to feel insecure or threatened in the streets. There is no violence against the minorities because of race or the colour of his skin. The only violence was from the Uyghur terrorists, beating and killing the Chinese majority. But they have been kept under control and peace and harmony have returned to China.
Stop
hallucinating and have a life. Stop talking for the sake of talking. about superficial racial harmony or racial discrimination or racism. If
you cannot accept that others are different from you, how can there be
racial harmony? Everyday watching what other people do or say to find an
excuse to scream racism! If you have this in you, you are a racist.
Period.
